The origins of the Special Olympics Movement in Poland in the 20th century
Since World War II, sport involving people with disabilities has gradually evolved in Poland, and people with intellectual disabilities had not participated in any sporting events until the end of the 1960s. They were treated as second-class citizens having no rights that they should be entitled to....
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Szczecińskiego
2020-01-01
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| Series: | Central European Journal of Sport Sciences and Medicine |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://wnus.edu.pl/cejssm/en/issue/1176/article/18662/ |
| _version_ | 1819160848061431808 |
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| author | Dorota Pilecka Tomasz Jurek |
| author_facet | Dorota Pilecka Tomasz Jurek |
| author_sort | Dorota Pilecka |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Since World War II, sport involving people with disabilities has gradually evolved in Poland, and people with intellectual disabilities had not participated in any sporting events until the end of the 1960s. They were treated as second-class citizens having no rights that they should be entitled to. The reason behind this was the State’s policy towards sport, where high-performance sport, especially Olympic sport, played a vital role that was supposed to testify to the high level of civilisation in communist Poland. People with disabilities were regarded as a shameful problem and were practically kept hidden away. They, therefore, did not participate in social life, including athletic activities. The first competition held in Poland under the name of the Special Olympics was not organised until 1969 in Poznań. On May 26, 1973, the first national sporting event for mentally retarded children (as they were referred to at the time) was called Spartakiad and was held in Warsaw. That was around that time that the sports movement in Poland began to draw on American practices, and in the 1980s it adopted the form of the Special Olympics, both in terms of organisation and sporting activities. This period was marked by active cooperation with the USA and other countries, where Polish athletes with intellectual disabilities began to compete in international competitions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T17:02:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b458f7668d924af1974776d9c9569c57 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2300-9705 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T17:02:58Z |
| publishDate | 2020-01-01 |
| publisher | Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Szczecińskiego |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Central European Journal of Sport Sciences and Medicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-b458f7668d924af1974776d9c9569c572022-12-21T18:19:18ZengWydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu SzczecińskiegoCentral European Journal of Sport Sciences and Medicine2300-97052020-01-013210.18276/cej.2020.4-04The origins of the Special Olympics Movement in Poland in the 20th centuryDorota Pilecka0Tomasz Jurek1University School of Physical Education in Poznań, Faculty of Physical Culture in Gorzow WielkopolskiUniversity School of Physical Education in Poznań, Faculty of Physical Culture in Gorzow WielkopolskiSince World War II, sport involving people with disabilities has gradually evolved in Poland, and people with intellectual disabilities had not participated in any sporting events until the end of the 1960s. They were treated as second-class citizens having no rights that they should be entitled to. The reason behind this was the State’s policy towards sport, where high-performance sport, especially Olympic sport, played a vital role that was supposed to testify to the high level of civilisation in communist Poland. People with disabilities were regarded as a shameful problem and were practically kept hidden away. They, therefore, did not participate in social life, including athletic activities. The first competition held in Poland under the name of the Special Olympics was not organised until 1969 in Poznań. On May 26, 1973, the first national sporting event for mentally retarded children (as they were referred to at the time) was called Spartakiad and was held in Warsaw. That was around that time that the sports movement in Poland began to draw on American practices, and in the 1980s it adopted the form of the Special Olympics, both in terms of organisation and sporting activities. This period was marked by active cooperation with the USA and other countries, where Polish athletes with intellectual disabilities began to compete in international competitions.https://wnus.edu.pl/cejssm/en/issue/1176/article/18662/Special Olympicssport of people with disabilitiesParalympic Games |
| spellingShingle | Dorota Pilecka Tomasz Jurek The origins of the Special Olympics Movement in Poland in the 20th century Central European Journal of Sport Sciences and Medicine Special Olympics sport of people with disabilities Paralympic Games |
| title | The origins of the Special Olympics Movement in Poland in the 20th century |
| title_full | The origins of the Special Olympics Movement in Poland in the 20th century |
| title_fullStr | The origins of the Special Olympics Movement in Poland in the 20th century |
| title_full_unstemmed | The origins of the Special Olympics Movement in Poland in the 20th century |
| title_short | The origins of the Special Olympics Movement in Poland in the 20th century |
| title_sort | origins of the special olympics movement in poland in the 20th century |
| topic | Special Olympics sport of people with disabilities Paralympic Games |
| url | https://wnus.edu.pl/cejssm/en/issue/1176/article/18662/ |
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